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SENATE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to  
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learn of the death of
Willie David Cooper, who passed away on 
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June 19, 2009; and

 
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    WHEREAS, David Cooper was born on May 27, 1949 in 
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Birmingham, Alabama; his parents were JD and Zattie Mae Cooper; 
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he and his family moved to La Grange in 1955 and then to 
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Maywood in 1957; he attended Washington Elementary and 
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graduated from Proviso East High School in 1967; during high 
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school, he was a standout halfback on the high school football 
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team and a well respected member of the concert choir; he 
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continued his education at Triton College in River Grove, where 
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he trained as a counselor and co-founded the Black Student 
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Association and the Baha'i Club; and

 
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    WHEREAS, David Cooper provided professional services as a 
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counselor to at-risk youths throughout the State of Illinois; 
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he also dealt with the elderly and special needs clients, 
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including those with cerebral palsy, Down's syndrome, 
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deafness, quadriplegia, and autism; and

 
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    WHEREAS, David Cooper was a former member of the Second 
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Baptist Church in La Grange; in 1967, he embraced the teachings 
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of the Baha'i Faith, to which he remained dedicated for the 
 


 






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rest of his life as a path to help bring about social justice, 
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the oneness of humanity, and the unity of religion; as a highly 
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reputed community activist and organizer, he was the founder 
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and chair of the Maywood Residents' Council, an association of 
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125 block clubs whose goal it was to work with residents to 
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improve the quality of community life; he served as a 
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Recreation Counselor for the Village of Maywood and formerly 
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served as a Counselor for the Ray Graham Association, Hart 
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Grove Hospital, Rivers Edge Hospital, and Arise, Inc.; he was 
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also one of the original members of the Maywood Alliance for 
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Better Government, a group responsible for determining the 
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viability of candidates for local elections; in the fall of 
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2004, he moved to the Madison, Wisconsin area, where he 
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remained until his passing; and

 
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    WHEREAS, David Cooper was the author of a self-published 
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volume entitled "Through the Pupil of the Eye" a collection of 
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poems which examined principles of personal responsibility, 
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the plight and injustices of the oppressed, and youth issues 
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and made a fervent appeal to approach life on its own terms; 
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his works were recorded and performed in public and private 
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venues with keyboardist and composer Joah Greengus as "The Sons 
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of Light" in consciousness-raising gatherings from 1995 
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through 2005; he also had a great talent and appreciation for 
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fine foods and dining and offered catering services during his 
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later years in Maywood; and
 
 


 






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    WHEREAS, David Cooper was preceded in death by his 
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brothers, JD Cooper, Jr., and Danny K. Cooper; his mother, 
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Zattie Mae Cooper; and his grandmother, Tanner Wheeler; and

 
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    WHEREAS, David Cooper is survived by his brother, Leo 
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Cooper and his wife, Kathy; his aunt, Mary E. Lucas; and his 
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numerous friends and co-workers; and

 
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    WHEREAS, David Cooper will be remembered by all who knew 
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and loved him as a wonderful man, whose passion and dedication 
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for his faith, his family, his friends, his writing, and his 
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cooking were unmatched; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE  SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL 
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ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with 
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his family and friends, the passing of Willie David Cooper; and 
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be it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to the family of David Cooper as an expression of our 
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sympathy.